Night of Killing (2)

"Hmph, and here I wondered who it was. Turns out it's just a small fry who has only just stepped into the Dou Ling realm."

A bold, masculine voice echoed from the distance.

"Hahaha, Clan Leader Jia Lie, I trust you have been well!"

A tall, imposing figure carrying a long blade blocked the entrance to the main hall.

"You... Xiao Zhan! So it was you, Xiao Zhan!" Jia Lie Bi looked up at Xiao Zhan, his eyes dull and vacant.

"Haha, it is I. Why did you seek out this salted fish, Clan Leader Jia Lie? To deal with my Xiao Clan?" Xiao Zhan asked with a contemptuous smile.

"Xiao Zhan, don't get cocky, you—"

The previously vacant-eyed Jia Lie Bi seemed to be provoked by Xiao Zhan's mocking smile; his gaze sharpened instantly as he prepared to lash out at Xiao Zhan.

"Splat!"

A flash of white light streaked by, and Jia Lie Bi, who had just been about to speak, was instantly decapitated.

"But none of that matters anymore."

Xiao Zhan stood tall, sheathing his blade with a faint smile.

Outside the hall, the Third Elder rushed in with several skilled clansmen.

"Clan Leader."

Seeing the two corpses on the ground, the Third Elder cupped his hands and awaited orders from Xiao Zhan.

"Jia Lie Bi is dead. Drag his corpse out and let the people of the Jia Lie Clan see it, so they may abandon their futile resistance. Oh, that's right, drag the corpse of this salted fish out with him as well."

Xiao Zhan kicked the corpse of the white-robed man on the ground to emphasize his point.

"Understood," the Third Elder and the others replied.

Outside the hall, Xiao Yan, hiding in the shadows, unleashed a burst of energy that knocked away the lethal blade of a Da Dou Shi from the Jia Lie Clan who was dueling with Xiao Zhen, the chief instructor of the Xiao Clan's Martial Arts Hall. Xiao Zhen, who had been in a precarious situation, saw his opening and slashed his sword, reaping the life of the Da Dou Shi.

"Teacher, it seems the situation is nearly settled," Xiao Yan whispered to Yao Lao.

"Mm, your father's side is about finished as well," Yao Lao said, slowly withdrawing his gaze from Xiao Zhan. He listened to the sounds of slaughter gradually fading in the courtyard and responded softly.

"Jia Lie Bi is dead! All of you, cease your resistance at once!"

"The Dou Ling expert is dead! All of you, cease your resistance at once!"

The Third Elder carried the corpses of Jia Lie Bi and the white-robed man, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Whoosh!" The resistance on the field, already pathetic and weak, came to an immediate halt.

Xiao Zhan walked out of the hall, watching as the Xiao Clan's elite forces escorted the Jia Lie Clan's captives. He turned to the Third Elder beside him and asked with a relaxed expression, "I wonder how the Great Elder and the Second Elder are faring?"

The Third Elder stroked his beard and laughed, "With Lord Shan accompanying them, the progress should be very smooth."

"That's true," Xiao Zhan chuckled.

In the territory of the Aoba Clan, ruins stretched as far as the eye could see.

The brutal slaughter continued, and the corpses strewn everywhere seemed to tell the tale of the fierce resistance.

"Xiao Tian, Xiao Di, how dare you! How dare you attack my Aoba Clan!"

Aoba Pa, the leader of the Aoba Clan, pointed at the Great Elder and Second Elder of the Xiao Clan, his face twisted in rage.

"Hahaha, Aoba Pa, why wouldn't we dare! Do you think our Xiao Clan was unaware of the little schemes you and Jia Lie Bi were cooking up? Do you take us for fools? This is a preemptive strike," the Great Elder said, looking at Aoba Pa with utter disdain.

"Impossible, impossible! How could your Xiao Clan suddenly produce two Dou Ling experts? This is impossible! Wutan City hasn't seen a Dou Ling expert in nearly twenty years." Aoba Pa trembled incessantly, as if he had been frightened out of his wits.

"Hmph, Xiao Tian, why waste your breath on him? Kill him!" the Second Elder shouted, waving his hand to signal the attack.

Seeing the members of the Aoba Clan being wiped out, Aoba Pa seemed to finally reach a decision. He roared in a frenzy, "Master Xu! Master Xu! My Aoba Clan accepts your terms—we agree to have our entire clan become your vassals! Master Xu, please, step in and save my Aoba Clan!"

"Hmph, what took you so long?" A voice of a middle-aged man drifted from a distant courtyard, and three figures "whooshed" into existence before Aoba Pa.

"I, Xu Yi, accept your invitation."

The middle-aged man in the center, wearing a special alchemist's robe and radiating the scent of medicinal herbs, tilted his chin at Aoba Pa.

"Hmph, and who are you?" The Second Elder, who had been preparing to continue the assault, looked cautiously at the three newly arrived Dou Ling experts.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xu Yi, a fourth-tier alchemist from the Imperial Alchemist Guild," Xu Yi said, arrogantly pointing to the four golden leaves on his robe.

"Of course, you may address me as Master Xu, just as Clan Leader Aoba does."

"These are my two companions." Xu Yi gestured casually to the two men behind him, and the two Dou Ling experts stepped forward.

"I believe you heard what Clan Leader Aoba just said; the Aoba Clan has agreed to become my vassals. I hope you can show me, Xu Yi, some respect today. Let the matter with the Aoba Clan end here, and I, Xu Yi, will surely reward you handsomely in the future. How about this: if you ever need me to refine pills for you in the future, I promise to refine one furnace for you." As he spoke, a smile curled the corners of Xu Yi's mouth.

"Hahaha." Before the Second Elder could answer, the Great Elder, having heard this, burst into laughter as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.

"Hmph, what are you laughing at?" Xu Yi's expression darkened instantly.

"Hahaha, what kind of thing are you to dare speak to our Xiao Clan like that? Promising to refine pills? Bah!" The Great Elder finished his laughter with a cold snort.

"You are courting death! Do you believe I—" Xu Yi began, nearly driven mad.

"Oh, believe you what? I, this old man, would very much like to hear it."

A voice came from afar, and a figure appeared in the sky. Behind him, dazzling cyan Dou Qi wings flapped incessantly, and a grand, overbearing aura shook everyone on the field.

"Urgh, urgh." Xu Yi sounded as if his vocal cords had been pinched shut, unable to force a single word from his throat.

"Welcome, Clan Elder!"

"Welcome, Clan Elder!"

"Welcome, Clan Elder!"

Seeing this, Great Elder and Second Elder wore expressions of wild joy as they led the Xiao Clan elites in bowing to the Dou King hovering in the air.

"Mm, Xiao Tian, Xiao Di, you two have done well."

The mysterious old man who had suddenly appeared in the sky retracted his Dou Qi wings and landed before Great Elder and Second Elder.

"A, a Dou King??" Xu Yi's throat, blocked for so long, finally managed to emit a sound, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

"So, I would like to ask: what exactly do you not believe?" The old man turned around, a playful look on his face as he pressed the question, his aura firmly locking onto the Xu Yi before him.

"Junior, junior... I suddenly remembered I have some matters yet to attend to. This junior shall take his leave now."

Having finally broken free from the old man's aura lock, Xu Yi gasped for air, cold sweat pouring down his face as he fled with his two companions without once looking back.

Off to the side, Aoba Pa, who had long since collapsed to the ground, stared blankly in the direction where Xu Yi's group had vanished, muttering, "Master Xu, come back. I promise you, I'll promise you anything. I need you to kill them, kill them! Hahaha, kill them. Wuwuwu, come back. Master Xu, you promised me, you promised me."

The old man looked at the collapsed Aoba Pa, shook his head with a smile, and then gestured to Great Elder, "He is finished. Take him away."

"Yes, Clan Elder!" the crowd shouted.